Kunjarra/The Pebbles

Looking for some insight into the local Warumungu aboriginal people’s culture then take the time to explore this area. The notice boards provide information on the relevance of the site to Warumungu people. It is a short detour from the Stuart Highway of six kilometres on a graded dirt road. It makes for an ideal day trip from Tennant Creek and can easily be combined with a stopover at the telegraph station and a picnic at Lake Mary Ann all located to the north of Tenant Creek.

Note. No camping is allowed at this site. If you are travelling to this site purely for its visual splendour you may be disappointed. The site has rock formations but nothing that compares in scale to Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles. This is a sacred site, and you are requested to remain on the footpath and not climb over the rocks.

For the Warumungu aboriginal people’s this is a sacred women’s site. Kunjarra is a place were women come to dance, meet and conduct ceremony. Kunjarra is linked to Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) were the Munga Munga (Mungamunga) went to pick up their loved ones before returning to Kunjarra. The Munga Munga are here to protect country and that is why they are to be respected.

“Mungamunga women are profoundly ambiguous beings, who operate in the liminal zone between the Wirnkarra (Dreaming) and the everyday world. In the powerful Dreaming utterances and actions recounted in the songs, the Mungamunga women travel around the country finding water, naming places and performing ceremony. In performance of those songs today, real women mirror the Mungamunga women’s utterances and actions in order to effect change in the social world. Mungamunga women are not confined to the past: they continue to interact directly with human beings today. Sometimes glimpsed in the distance at dawn or dusk, they may cause people to become lost, steal children, punish those who displease them by refusing to perform their ceremonies, or appear in dreams to give new songs and dances.”(1)

What to Explore in the Area

When in Tennant Creek take some time to visit the local attractions. Located in and on the outskirts of Tennant Creek are:

• Battery Hill Mining Centre

• Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre

• Kelly West Crater

A short distance to the north of Tennant Creek is:

• Tingkkarli/ Lake Mary Ann

• Tennant Creek Telegraph Station

  50 km to the north west of Tennant Creek is the fossicking area of Warrego.

References

1. Linda Barwick, University of Sydney
   Barwick, Linda. (2005). Performance, aesthetics, experience: thoughts on Yawulyumungamunga songs. In E. Mackinlay, S. Owens & D. Collins (Eds.), Aesthetics andexperience in music performance (pp. 1-18). Amersham, Bucks: Cambridge Scholars Press.